Tom Jackson Backstage Pass Review, Part 2

Over a year ago, I posted a review of Tom Jackson’s Backstage Pass, but I did it without actually signing up to the service because I was a annoyed with the greed that seems rampant with music business professionals. Everyone is trying to make a buck off the newbie musician. Some, like Tom Jackson, are asking for more than a buck.

I say that knowing that one day, I hope to finally release my own eBook filled with the music marketing tips I’ve shared in this newsletter over the years.

Tom Jackson is known as a live music producer. He created his own “method” for putting on a great live show. He sells his knowledge largely through DVDs and live seminars. Both are pretty expensive. I bought four of the DVDs because of all the rave reviews. I found them very beneficial. The lessons I learned from the DVDs have definitely improved my live show and made me more money in the process.

Last year, he created the Backstage Pass where subscribers could go and get bonus content every month. The price? It was originally $15 per month. Now it’s $18 per month or $140 per year. No doubt he’s trying to get more annual subscribers than monthly ones.

But EIGHTEEN dollars, is that worth it?

What’s in the Backstage Pass?

Each month you get a couple videos from actual sessions where he teaches individuals and bands how to put on better shows. You also get couple members-only, exclusive articles, and even a couple audio downloads.

Again, that’s for $1 per month or $140 per year.

The Review

Well, I’ll be honest. I quit subscribing because the very thing I knew would happen, happened.

I don’t have a lot of time watch videos. In the year that I subscribed, I only watched a dozen or so videos. I did not get my money’s worth.

That said, the videos were okay. They weren’t great. Most ran on too long. They could benefit from some serious editing to get to the meat of the lessons.

At times, the sound quality was weak. At least once, I stopped watching for that reason, but that was the rare case. This was raw video footage from live one-on-one sessions. The most I got out of it was wanting to be in one of those one-on-one sessions.

The articles on the site (both free and paid) are usually pretty good. However, those on the paid site didn’t strike me as anything extra special. The only difference was that were more to read.

I haven’t had a chance to listen to the free downloads yet or look at the PDF. But I expect pretty good content.

The thing I wish there were more of is one-on-one solo sessions. I perform solo, yet most of his techniques and these videos seem geared towards bands.

Is the Backstage Pass Worth It?

That’s what you ultimately want to know. Should you subscribe?

My suggestion is–no.

Musicians (especially newbies) have a lot of expenses. There are zillion educational resources out there. So spend your money elsewhere.

Buy Tom Jackson’s DVDs. I only own four of them. And at least two of the four were worth it. But the tips overall were very valuable to my current career. Spend the $400 and get the complete DVD set. I earned my money back easily through regularly better shows.

Or better yet, attend one of his Bootcamps. While I’ve never been (and hope to go one day), I’m positive that they will be well worth the money if you can make one.

Jackson also has a new book out. Sadly, he’s charging $99 for it. I haven’t read it, but it might be cheaper alternative to the DVDs. Now if only he’ll release an ebook version.

If you do decide to commit to the Backstage Pass, make the most of it. Watch as many of the videos as you possibly can. Take notes. Commit yourself to learning what is so special about Tom Jackson’s technique and you’ll definitely see an improvement in your live show and your CD sales.